Air foil boat



Sept. 21, 1965 v R. VERDI 3,207,120

AIR FOIL BOAT Filed March 3, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ROBERT VERD/ R. VERDI 3,207,120

AIR FOIL BOAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 21, 1965 Filed March 3, 1965 UnitedStates Patent 3,207,120 AIR FOIL BOAT Robert Verdi, 34 Carmine St., NewYork, N.Y. Filed Mar. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 436,728 7 Claims. (Cl. 114-665)My invention is directed toward air foil boats, i.e. boats having a finor foil which exerts a lifting force on the boat when the boat istraveling in water whereby the hull of the boat is lifted out of thewater.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved air foilboat characterized by the use of a stabilizer to maintain the boat atproper altitude when traveling at high speed.

Another object is to provide a new and improved air foil boatcharacterized by a rudder for controlling the direction which operatesabove the water line.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved air foil boatpowered by an outboard motor wherein the motor is flexibly mounted in awell in the stern of the boat whereby as the hull rises, the motorremains in proper position relative to the water line to supply suitabledriving power to the boat.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of myinvention will now be described with reference both to thisspecification and to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially cut away side view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut away top view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the well construction employed in myinvention; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the well shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a boat having a shell havinga relatively thick central portion tapering toward both the front (hull)24 and the rear (stern) 26. The stem is provided with a vertical openingor well 12. A structure supporting an outboard motor 14 having avertical shaft 16 supplying power to a horizontal screw 18 immersed inthe water and rotated in a vertical plane is mounted in the well. Thisstructure comprises a flat horizontal plate 20 upon which the bottom ofmotor 14 rests, plate 20 having an orifice 28 through which shaft 16extends.

First and second vertical members 30 and 32 extend upward from oppositesides of plate 20. Each of members 30 and 32 has a top horizontal lip 34and vertical slides 36 fitting into grooves in a flat horizontal flange38. A vertical connecting rod 40 connects each flange 38 to anotherhorizontal lip 42. Each lip 42 extends over the appropriate edge of acorresponding wall of the well to support the entire structure. A spring44 is interposed between each lip 34 and flange 38.

Depending downward from each of members 30 and 32 is a verticalextension 46, these extensions being positioned in each side of theshell 10. The bottom of each extension is secured to a separatehorizontal hollow pon toon 48, each pontoon extending in the samedirection as the shell.

First and second curved elongated bars 50 and provided, one on each sideof the shell. The front end 52 of each bar is pivotally secured to acorresponding side of the shell adjacent the front of the hull. The rearend 54 of each bar is shaped like a foot and is positioned outside ofand at the rear of the corresponding pontoon.

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Each bar 50 at a point 56 intermediate the ends but adjacent the rearend is pivotally secured to the corresponding vertical extension 46 at apoint just above the pontoon.

The midsection of shell 10 has a cockpit 58 in which an operator cansit. A vertical shaft 60 extends upward from the rear of the cockpit andsupports the front portion of a flat somewhat inclined air foil 62. Foil62 at a point 64 intermediate its ends is pivotally secured to avertical extension fin 67 projecting upwards from the top surface of theshell.

A linkage 66 in the cockpit under the control of the operator permitsshaft 60 to be raised or lowered to control the angle of inclination ofthe foil. The rear end of foil 62 is notched at 68 to support a verticalrudder 70 connected by cord 72 and pulleys 74 to the steering wheel 76in the cockpit.

The invention functions in the following manner. When the motor isturned on and the boat begins to move, the air pressure on foil 62causes the shell to move out of the water to an extent determined by thesetting of linkage 66 and the inclination of foil 62. The direction ofthe boat is determined by the setting of the vertical rudder 70 asdetermined by the rotation of wheel 76. As the shell rises, bars 50 arepivoted so that ends 52 are raised out of the water and ends 54 arelowered in the water to help stabilize the boat and keep pontoons 48 ina horizontal position. These pontoons again assist in stabilization. Theaction of bars 50 and pontoons 48 pull the motor downward in the wellagainst the action of springs 44 whereby the shell can rise and yet thescrew 18 is held at a proper depth in the water to insure properoperation. As the boat slows to a stop, the operator controls the angleof inclination of the foil, ends 52 of bars 50 are lowered toward thewater, ends 54 of bars 50 are raised in the water, and the springs 44pull the motor upwards in the well, thus maintaining the screw in properposition.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to thedrawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claimswhich follow.

I claim:

1. An air foil boat comprising a shell having a relatively thickmidsection tapering to a pointed hull and a pointed stern, the sternhaving a vertical well, an outboard motor removably inserted in saidwell, said motor having a downwardly extending vertical shaftterminating in a horizontal screw, a pair of pontoons disposed onopposite sides of said shell and pointing in the same direction, a motorsupport structure in said well and interposed between the motor and theshell, said structure having a pair of vertical means, each means beingsecured to a corresponding pontoon, and an inclined flat air foilpositioned above said shell and supported thereby.

2. A boat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said midsection has a cockpit,said cockpit having a vertical shaft supporting the front end of saidfoil, and means in said cockpit to raise and lower said shaft to raiseand lower the front end of the foil.

3. A boat as set forth in claim 2 wherein said shell has a vertical finextending upward therefrom behind the cockpit and extending in the somedirection as the shell, the foil being pivotally secured to said fin ata point intermediate the ends of the coil.

4. A boat as set forth in claim 3 wherein said structure is springmounted in said well whereby said motor when the shell is raised out ofthe water due to air foil action when the boat is moving can be loweredin said Well against the action of the springs.

5. A boat as set forth in claim 4 further including a pair of curvedelongated bars extending on each side of the shell, the front end ofeach bar being pivotally secured to a corresponding side of the shell,each bar at a point intermediate its end but adjacent the rear endthereof being pivotally secured to a corresponding one of said verticalmeans.

6. A boat as set forth in claim 5 wherein the rear end of each barextends outside of and at the rear of a corresponding pontoon.

7. A boat as set forth in claim 6 wherein each rear end 5 of each barhas the shape of a foot.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

1. AN AIR FOIL BOAT COMPRISING A SHELL HAVING A RELATIVELY THICKMIDSECTION TAPERING TO A POINTED HULL AND A POINTED STERN, THE STERNHAVING A VERTICAL WELL, AND OUTBOARD MOTOR REMOVABLE INSERTED IN SAIDWELL, SAID MOTOR HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING VERTICAL SHAFTTERMINATING IN HORIZONTAL SCREW, A PAIR OF PONTOONS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITESIDES OF SAID SHELL AND POINTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, A MOTOR SUPPORTSTRUCTURE IN SAID WELL AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE MOTOR AND THE SHELL,SAID STRUCTURE HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICAL MEANS, EACH MANS BEING SECUREDTO A CORRESPONDING PONTOON, AND AN INCLINED FLAT AIR FOIL POSITIONEDABOVE SAID SHELL AND SUPPORTED THEREBY.